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By Yoon Sung-won
Korea's first industrial complex dedicated for artificial intelligence (AI)-related businesses will be in Gwangju, according to the metropolitan city administration, Tuesday.
The city plans to spend about 1 trillion won ($916 million) in building the complex. Starting in 2019, it will build a national AI research center and a campus while pushing and encouraging entrepreneurs to start AI-related startups in the next 10 years.
Gwangju Metropolitan City (GMC) expects the complex will be able to foster 1,000 startups in AI and educate and train 5,000 for the sector within the decade.
"The city plans to establish a complex where AI research and development, human resources training and startup incubation support can be found in one place," said Kim Se-hoon, an official at GMC's information and communication technology department.
"The government has earmarked 1 billion won as a preliminary fund in next year's national budget to prepare for a more detailed and effective plan for the project."
According to GMC, the national AI research center will be Korea's top convergence technology research facility aimed at supporting national research projects for core technologies such as AI as well as research and work by private enterprises. It will also help researchers test, verify and standardize the AI systems they have developed.
The AI campus will be an academic institution where experts and students can educate, train and develop themselves in diverse business areas related to AI. It will have an AI education department and a lab for technology, aiming at expanding the horizon of research and development, according to the city administration.
The complex's third goal ― establishment of an ecosystem for AI startups ― will begin from setting up a support center for new companies in the sector. In particular, a strategy called "Lean Start up," in which any promising idea can become a prototype and be released in the market to check consumer responses. This will help both mid-sized enterprises and new startups strengthen their global competitiveness through expert and international marketing activities, GMC said.
The idea to set up an industrial complex for AI businesses was suggested by Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) President Moon Seung-hyeon in March.
Aiming at fostering Gwangju as the center of AI technologies and industries in Korea, the GIST president maintains that the complex should not just boost education and research but also promote job creation through startups, which is in line with President Moon Jae-in's pledges.
